Chapter 6
With a plan forming in her mind, Qiao Yan enjoyed a sound sleep in the Yellow Turban camp.
The system wanted to roll its eyes at how carefree she seemed, but judging by the reactions of those outside the tent the next day, it was clear that Qiao Yan’s actions were beyond reproach.
In the chaotic late Han period, amidst the continuous strife of the Three Kingdoms and the Jin Dynasties, people’s pursuit of elegance and demeanor remained unchanged.
Wang Xianzhi’s calmness during a fire escape was lauded as a tale of virtue, clearly not an isolated case.
Liang Zhongning had gathered the scattered troops overnight, only to see this so-called “Zheng Xuan’s eminent pupil” striding out of the tent, emanating a scholar’s aura despite her coarse clothing.
However, if you asked Qiao Yan herself, she would admit she was far from a true scholar.
The etiquette instilled in her by the Qiao family of Yanzhou wasn’t excessively strict, but Qiao Yan knew that her understanding of the rituals of the Han dynasty, separated by a millennia of change, was bound to have some missing pieces.
Nevertheless, combining the two seemed sufficient to bamboozle Liang Zhongning, the Yellow Turban Commander.
At least for now, Liang thought this little girl, despite appearing even more attractive during the day, wasn’t someone to take lightly.
Her sharp-eyed gaze assessed the surrounding Yellow Turban soldiers, exuding an intimidating presence.
“Commander, how many men did you bring this time?” Qiao Yan adjusted her sleeves and asked.
Liang Zhongning replied, “Over eight hundred.”
Just after he finished speaking, he noticed a smirk on her lips, tinged with mockery.
Yet, before he could react, she continued, “The Commander could seize Puyang City and become the leader among the Yellow Turban forces; surely, you are not ignorant of military strategy. Haven’t you heard Sun Tzu’s Art of War? ‘When ten, surround; when five, attack; when doubled, divide; when facing the enemy, engage; when fewer, retreat; if unworthy, evade.’ Pray tell, how many people are within Tian Family Fortress?”
Stunned by her words, Liang Zhongning hesitated for a moment before answering, “About a thousand?”
Qiao Yan wasn’t surprised he couldn’t provide an exact figure.
Since the era of Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han, conducting a census had been a tough nut to crack. Powerful families collaborating with bandits to murder officials were rampant in Qing, Xu, You, and Ji provinces, and Yanzhou was no exception.
The end of the Han dynasty saw land consolidation reach its peak, making it hard to gauge the private armed population hidden among the powerful households.
Even so, it was indeed impressive that Liang Zhongning dared to confront the Tians, who had at least a thousand, with just eight hundred men.
Liang Zhongning felt a bit frustrated.
Even if he didn’t fully grasp what Qiao Yan said about Sun Tzu’s strategies, he understood that the latter half meant—
If you were outnumbered, retreat or evade; there’s no need to engage.
He raised an eyebrow and asked, “Is this what you wanted to tell me after a good night’s sleep?”
Honestly, he hadn’t truly pinned all his hopes on this young girl.
If it weren’t for Zheng Xuan’s renowned reputation, he wouldn’t have forced Qiao Yan to come up with advice as if treating a dying horse as if it were alive. After a night of cool-headed reflection, he felt a little theatrical about his actions.
In this tangle of emotions, if the girl had stated outright that they could fight, he might have doubted her legitimacy.
However, now that she said they couldn’t fight, his stubbornness kicked in.
Fight! Of course, they had to fight!
Who says you need to flee when you’re outnumbered?
He might not have studied Sun Tzu, but he had heard about the Battle of Julu from plays; it wasn’t impossible to win with fewer troops.
Besides, most of his people were strong young soldiers, while the enemy had all ages; if it came down to a clash outside the fortress, it would be a lopsided battle.
Well, except for that incredibly strong dude—he was another story.
“I didn’t say that; I’m just trying to reason with you, Commander. Let’s go have a look at the fortress first,” Qiao Yan said, waving her hand for him to clear the way, confidently striding out of the tent.
After a night’s rest, she had regained her strength for the journey, at least enough to reach Tian Family Fortress.
Liang Zhongning found her cryptic manner a bit exasperating, but after reflecting, he realized he wasn’t losing out.
The Tians guarding their fortress wouldn’t recklessly attack, and if Qiao Yan’s suggestion lacked actionable hope, he could simply ignore it. The worst that would happen was wasting some time before returning to Puyang City.
With this conclusion, he mounted his horse and followed her out.
However, while he was on horseback, most of the Yellow Turban soldiers he brought along were still foot soldiers.
In these times, only the wealthy who could afford to purchase horses and food could maintain cavalry; the Yellow Turban army didn’t fall under this category, and even their commander was only mediocre at mounted combat.
The entire troop had to move at the pace of the foot soldiers towards the fortress.
He slowed down his horse to walk alongside Qiao Yan, who looked much shorter among the infantry, and casually asked, “How much do you know about the fortress’s defenses?”
Qiao Yan replied, “May I ask if there are any defensive towers or tall buildings within the Tian Family Fortress?”
Liang Zhongning’s expression softened for a moment.
Clearly, this question indicated she wasn’t just an amateur.
He responded, “There are none, only the outer walls and watchtowers. The mudworkers from Puyang City were brought in for inquiry, and the Tian Family Fortress was built relatively recently and is still under construction, having stored last year’s harvest along with some previous supplies.”
This was obviously good news.
In later years, fortifications were classified into castle-style, courtyard-style, and tower-style; the latter two had high towers for command and high-ground fire support. If the Tian Family Fortress had those, even Qiao Yan would feel unsure about a successful assault.
The northern fortresses displayed exceptional defensive capabilities against irregular military forces and Yellow Turban bandits.
Don’t even get me started on Dong Zhuo’s later constructions, which were akin to small cities. In Yanzhou and neighboring Yu Province, two well-documented confrontations between fortifications and large armies stand out.
One was Xu Chu’s battle record.
At that time, Xu Chu had yet to join Cao Cao and was building a fortress in his hometown of Qiao County to fend off the Runan bandits.
Even with over ten thousand Yellow Turbans attacking from behind walls, and showering arrows, they couldn’t breach the defenses.
The second instance was when Lü Bu attacked Yanzhou, where the Li family in Juye relied on their fortress for defense.
In that battle, Li Jin, from the Li family, even defeated the incomparable Lü Bu.
This showcases that if a fortress is sufficiently fortified, simply charging in with brute strength is quite a challenge, especially with unified command.
Liang Zhongning shook his head, “That method is inappropriate. I’ve heard of such tactics, but the Tian Family Fortress maintains vigilance using a stronghold strategy. If a tunnel is to be dug, it must start from far away. If we exert that much effort, it would be a loss rather than a gain.”
She didn’t show any disappointment on her face, saying, “Then we have only one option left: deceive them into opening the fortress.”
Liang Zhongning asked, dubiously, “But I’ve already clashed with the Tians; they have high walls and powerful crossbows, plus a rare tiger general. How can we possibly trick them?”
Qiao Yan replied, “That’s where I come in.”
Liang Zhongning didn’t overlook the hint of annoyance and pride that flashed in her eyes as she responded to this.
But despite her youth, she clearly had a good grasp of her emotions.
Seeing her quickly suppress her irritation, Liang Zhongning asked again, “Do you still remember the promise you made to me earlier?”
Without thinking, he replied, “Of course, I remember. If we can breach the fortress, all the food and valuables inside naturally belong to me. Those bullies among the Tian family can be killed freely, but the rest must be released. If they are left with nowhere to go and wish to join my Yellow Turban, you need not interfere.”
He waved his hand nonchalantly, “I remember all of that, but let’s talk about it when we win.”
Qiao Yan turned her gaze away from him, looking forward instead, her steps steady, “Rest assured, Commander, I’ll resolve this matter swiftly so I may return to Gaomi as soon as possible.”
In this way, according to their agreement, she wouldn’t engage in any half-hearted efforts.
Last night, they had camped only about four or five li from the Tian Family Fortress. In just a couple of moments’ walk, Qiao Yan spotted an expanse of open land.
In the distance, walled in by solid walls, was the Tian Family Fortress.
Located on elevated terrain, the fortress was indeed favorable for defense, but Puyang sat on the Yellow River’s alluvial plain, making the terrain relatively flat.
Unable to secure a suitably elevated location, the Tians settled for one far from the main road yet close to a water source.
Originally, the Tians intended to create a mutual defense with Puyang city; even if bandits attacked, they could simply hold out until reinforcements arrived.
Who knew that with the Yellow Turbans arising, the internal situation in Puyang would lead to their downfall, while the Tian Family Fortress became a safe haven amidst the chaos?
As Liang Zhongning said, Qiao Yan looked up and saw that the fortress did not have high towers, only watchtowers adorning its thick walls.
Perhaps due to rushed construction, the surrounding moat was only half-dug, still showcasing some disordered conditions.
But more conspicuous were the arrows shot from the fort during Liang Zhongning’s previous assaults, alongside the corpses of Yellow Turban soldiers left behind.
Of course, Qiao Yan had a clear view of the situation before her, and it appeared that the Tian family members stationed in the fortress were also watching them return.
Even with her untrained eyesight, she noticed a figure flashing at the watchtower, evidently rushing to report their arrival.
“You don’t expect me to initiate another attack, do you?” Liang Zhongning signaled the troops to halt, then saw yet again the troublesome arrows appearing on the distant walls.
The Tians were evidently prepared for the possibility of his retreat; the fortress had already established an orderly defense system. It was easy to imagine that if he rushed in, the casualties could be even greater than the last encounter.
Qiao Yan shook her head in response.
She, of course, wouldn’t do something so foolish.
If she said they were going to deceive them, she would have to use some clever tactics.
Under Liang Zhongning’s watchful eye, Qiao Yan borrowed a sword from a soldier and drew a rectangle on the ground, resembling the shape of the Tian Family Fortress ahead.
Then, using the sword as a pen, she meticulously marked the spots where arrows had fallen within her sight onto the ground diagram.
The defenders within the fortress remained alert to what the returning Yellow Turbans might do, but Qiao Yan appeared rather too relaxed.
With Liang Zhongning’s permission, she led more than two hundred soldiers to circle around the fortress once.
They had to give credit to Liang Zhongning, who had been relentlessly trying to find a breakthrough around the fortress over the past two days, leaving behind several traces of conflict.
When she returned to the diagram she drew, and after a quarter of an hour passed, there were several new lines drawn on the ground.
Qiao Yan finally turned around, only to find Liang Zhongning’s face showing signs of impatience.
If not for considering her undisputed status as Zheng Xuan’s disciple, he might have taken the gun he had just changed and poked her with it.
He had no idea that every mark Qiao Yan made corresponded directly to actual locations, and she wasn’t simply doodling.
All he saw was that as she did this, someone atop the watchtower made several provocative gestures towards him.
Qiao Yan noticed this interaction, a faint smile creeping onto her lips, “If you’re so bored, Commander, why not go over and shout some insults from outside the range?”
Liang Zhongning: “……?”
“I was just joking.”
After saying those six words, she suddenly dropped her previously relaxed demeanor, adopting a tone of gravitas that belied her age, “Now, let’s discuss something serious. I’d like to trouble you, Commander, to do two things for me.”
Liang Zhongning nodded, signaling her to continue.
“First, please select the sharpshooters among the ranks and assign them to me for arrangement.”
This was no difficult task for him.
Qiao Yan paused and added, “The second thing, Commander, you mentioned earlier that digging a tunnel to breach the fortress from below is difficult, so—”
“If it’s just about digging a pit big enough for someone to fall in and not climb out, how long would that take?”
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